A Fearful Christmas
by hsm753
Summary: Shawn and Hunter reflect on an incident that occurred out of fear during the Holidays. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Shawn moved about the living room, walking quietly as possible so he wouldn't wake his wife or children up in the middle of the night. He carefully looked out into the darkness, seeing a few figures in the dim Christmas lights on the far side of the room. He smiled and walked closer to the Christmas Tree, reaching over towards it, placing a small box on top of a few bigger ones, and looked around for any signs of Cameron or Cheyenne. When he didn't see them around, he quickly placed more presents under the tree.

They always had their ears out when it came to Santa Clause.

He leaned back and watched the Christmas lights gleam in the darkness, shining on to different objects in the living room like the couch, tables, and mantle where the family stockings huge limp on their nails. Shawn continued watching the lights, how some disappeared and turned dark, while letting the others shine and expose the branches and ordiments within.

"Honey?" A voice asked.

Shawn turned around quickly, only to catch his wife's dark figure standing next to the couch.

"What are you doing up this late?" Shawn asked, a slight smile on his face.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I heard a noise and thought it was Cheyenne peeping down the stairs again," Rebecca walked towards her husband adjusting a white blanket on her shoulders. "Then I found you."

Shawn smiled and looked back at the tree, saying, " I was just putting a few more under here for tomorrow."

"It is tomorrow."

Rebecca pointed towards the clock on a nearby table, seeing the numbers 12:04 on it. She smiled to herself as she glanced the decorations one by one, soon noticing Shawn's sudden movements as she quickly found herself embraced in her husband's arms.

"Merry Christmas, Rebecca." He said.

"Merry Christmas."

As the two hugged each other tighter, Rebecca, feeling warm skin against her own, looked up and saw Shawn's face staring at her, the look in his eye all too familiar. She quickly leaned in and kissed him softly, returning most of the kisses she could as they kissed for a few seconds longer.

Shawn leaned away and adjusted Rebecca's white blanket on her shoulders, making sure she wasn't cold as it was freezing outside. He smiled some more as he walked slowly backwards and grabbed his wife's hand.

"Shawn, what-"

"You'll see."

Rebecca walked with Shawn hand in hand, leading her to wherever he was taking her. She looked towards the Christmas tree and noticed a small angel sitting on top of it with a golden glow shining through its body.

"I remember our first Christmas together," Rebecca said, continuing to follow Shawn across the living room. "You gave me that angel."

Shawn stopped short of the stockings and turned slowly so his wife wouldn't run into him. "Yeah...I thought it looked as nice as you."

"Shawn." Rebecca said, teasing her fingers as if Shawn didn't notice.

"Okay."

The two quickly walked closer to the stockings, their limp figures hanging in the dim light, and Shawn turned his head slightly at his wife before pointing towards the top of the mantle.

"I made this for you." He said.

Rebecca looked on at the mantle, trying to figure out what Shawn was talking about. She then realized she was standing in front of a shining light, a glass ball of sorts, the words Peace On Earth engraved in the middle. As the sides were covered in small blue lights, tiny strands on tinsel and mistletoe hung beneath it as the angel's glow reflected off the mantel and towards the two standing before it. The stockings were lit with small green lights around the edges, as well as the front of the mantle while balancing purple, green, and red ordiments with pictures taped onto them. A few picture frames draped with more mistletoe beside it as more light gleamed onto the familiar photos.

"It's beautiful." Rebecca whispered.

Shawn reached up and grabbed one of the pictures off the mantle, quickly showing it to Rebecca.

"Do you remember this one?" He asked.

Rebecca touched the rim of the picture frame and quickly noticed who was in the photo.

A man standing in a black suit, smiling as he touched a hand planted on his shoulder. The hand, at first glance, quickly turned into an arm, then a woman holding a bouquet of flowers as she smiled next to him. She was dressed in white.

"Our wedding day." Rebecca said, smiling.

"It was the easiest decision I ever made." Shawn said, a smile of his own on his face.

Rebecca glanced at her husband before placing the picture back in its place on the mantle. She then noticed a few more next to it and grabbed them, instantly recognizing people and places in each photo as she glanced through them.

"I remember this...my mom's birthday, this one was Cameron when he was first born, and Cheyenne when she was first born."

"Those were the first ones I put up here," Shawn grabbed another picture frame and showed it to his wife. "Then I decided to throw these up there."

Shawn smiled as he watched his wife's reaction to the photo, quickly laughing a little as Rebecca grabbed the photo of him and Hunter standing next to one another with a large building in the background.

"You had to do that." Rebecca said.

"We took it at WrestleMania 30."

Rebecca nodded her head, saying, "At least you get to choose which ones you like."

"Okay, okay," Shawn slowly took the picture out of his wife's hands. "I'll put this one somewhere else."

"Thank you."

A few minutes passed before Shawn could show all the pictures to Rebecca, mostly some of them together throughout the years, many with Cameron and Cheyenne, and a few of them with Shawn or anyone else standing alone with a smile on their face.

"Which one do you like the best?" Rebecca asked.

Now they were sitting on the couch with their arms around one another.

Shawn looked over at his wife and said, "All of them...and the many to come."

As the sun's horizon settled in the distance, Shawn looked at Rebecca again and wrapped his arm tighter around her body. He smiled and leaned down towards her neck, kissing it gently. Rebecca cringed and realized her husband's soft bristles of hair floated down towards her skin.

"Shawn," Rebecca said, placing her lips on his face for a few seconds before continuing, "Do you remember what happened before you got me that angel?"

Shawn paused and looked at his wife, thinking to himself while admiring her beauty.

"Yeah," He said. "We had a big fight about something."

"Not just something, it was the biggest fight we ever had."

"If I could remember what it was about." Shawn joked.

Rebecca laughed a little and quickly wrapped her hand around her husband's, saying, "I remember it perfectly."

* * *

 _Fresh pine. Twinkling lights. Bells ringing in the distance. It again seemed like the perfect time of year._

 _But all Rebecca could think about was her date. It was the first time she'd ever been out on Christmas Eve with a stranger. He wasn't really strange, just a friendly man who she instantly fell for. She just barely knew him, other than he was talented, funny, and sweet enough to talk to even in the most coldest weather._

 _She soon caught glimpses of Christmas trees in the distance, covered in bright lights and shiny ornaments all around its exterior. Along with Santa standing on the corner ringing a bell in front of a Red Kettle. She smiled lightly and quickly adjusted her coat, now worried about walking too close to him. He hadn't spoken a word since she met him at his hotel._

 _"Are you okay?" Shawn asked, looking over._

 _"Yes," Rebecca said, staring at Shawn's eyes. "I'm fine."_

 _"Did you...want to go out tonight?"_

 _Shawn stopped walking and looked over at Rebecca, whose dark hair shined through clearly despite the dim lighting above from the lamps above them. His heart began to beat in his chest once he noticed her smile._

 _"Of course I want to. It's just really cold out here."_

 _She looked down at her arms, shivering a little as she pulled on the ends of her coat, making sure they didn't come up her arms too much. She remained standing in front of Shawn, who happened to slowly slip his arm around her with a slight smile. She smiled back and quickly caught strange noises coming from across the street._

 _"Thanks," Rebecca said, grabbing his cold hand. "But it's still freezing."_

 _"Yeah, we should get inside."_

 _Shawn coughed a little as he slipped his arm off of Rebecca's shoulders, grasping his stomach in the process as a tight feeling entered his chest._

 _"Are you okay?" Rebecca asked, worried._

 _"Yeah...I'm...fine." Shawn coughed some more until he managed to collect himself, standing upright._

 _Rebecca's heart raced, now she could've been caught with a sore throat or sick stomach, too. What was there to worry about? Shawn couldn't be sick even on the coldest day of the year. She sighed and began to walk with Shawn some more, noticing how even in the slightest light his skin continued its muscular flair, as well as the light shining off his ever curious heart tattoo propped on his forearm._

 _"Sorry about that," Shawn said. "I've been really busy and haven't had time to rest up."_

 _"I understand."_

 _As the two of them walked down the sidewalk some more, Shawn looking over occasionally, the sounds of bells became louder and louder as they watched a few people stand next to a Red Kettle and throw money into it._

 _"Why do we need those things?" Shawn asked aloud._

 _Rebecca looked over at him, no longer grasping her hand in his, and stared at his face, seeing that he was serious. They stopped walking long enough for each other to stare at one another's face, Shawn's still as serious as ever. Rebecca looked back at the Red Kettle and quickly said, "It's for children who want to have a good Christmas. They collect money to help people who are less fortunate than us. It's what nice people do to help others."_

 _"Still," Shawn said, staring. "It doesn't make sense. Wouldn't someone just use the money for their selves?"_

 _"That wouldn't be right," Rebecca stopped walking and placed her hand in her pocket. "It's what God wants us to do. He wants us to help those in need."_

 _"Why?" Shawn asked._

 _Rebecca sighed and shook her head. It was pointless trying to get him to understand. She looked at the ground and thought to herself._

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _"For what?" Rebecca asked._

 _"I shouldn't have said that," Shawn said, looking down at the ground. "I forgot you were a Christian."_

 _"That's not the point."_

 _Rebecca shook her head some more and moved closer to the Red Kettle, greeting the Santa next to it before placing a few dollars inside. She then looked back at her date before quickly walking over towards the other side of the road, moving hurriedly as the wind began to pick up speed._

 _"Wha-Where are you...?" Shawn asked aloud, mostly to himself as he watched Rebecca leave._

 _He quickly walked down the sidewalk, feeling the cold wind on his skin, and shivered as he tried to catch up to his date, hoping she wasn't too far away from him so he could see her face some more. At least feel relieved that she would be safe of her own. Before he got closer to the other side, he happened to notice the Santa staring at him with a smile on his face._

 _"Merry Christmas." The man said._

 _Shawn looked at the man, his red suit glaring in the light, and said, "Merry Christmas."_

 _He pressed his legs on to the sidewalk as the constant chatter of the Santa continued over his shoulder, soon walking down the sidewalk to catch up to Rebecca._

 _As he continued down the long path, he quickly realized he was now in front of a alley that look deserted. There wasn't a hint of light on this side, with barely any support from the lights inside the shops on the corner, and a cold chill fell across the air. Shawn looked around and tried to find any sign of Rebecca, who now was probably hanging out back at the hotel. But he had to try to find her._

 _"Rebecca?" Shawn called out into the alley. "Rebecca? Where are you?"_

 _He waited for an answer, but instead he got the sounds of wind whipping through the air at a fast speed._

 _"Hello?" He called again._

 _But no answer. Instead, he turned around and walked back towards the other side of the road, where at least he could see some light._

 _"Happy Holidays, ho ho ho!" The man yelled as people came by donating money. "Merry Christmas!"_

 _Shawn sighed and adjusted his coat, shivering once he felt the cold wind on his face some more. He decided it was best to go back to the hotel, where hopefully his date was waiting for him. He began to hear his own heartbeat grow louder as he kept thinking of Rebecca, how worried she was and how angry she became._

 _He'd been cringing more than usual at the word of Christmas. The fact that people celebrated it was fine, and he always liked it himself, but now he felt unworthy of a holiday that he barely knew any meaning of unless he was sitting in a Church with his girlfriend. He hated that the most._

 _As he quickly hurried himself down the near-empty sidewalk, the cold air now picking up speed, he tried to cover his face from the chilling effects of the harsh wind as his feet shuffled under him. He nearly felt tripped on his own two feet most of the time. He soon looked up long enough to realize he was now walking towards a building that happened to be in front of him, but he tried hard not to concentrate on it for long as he began to notice people walking towards him._

 _Just as he was about to turn the corner and dodge the oncoming crowd, he noticed something near him._

 _He looked over and saw it. A shining light in between small Christmas trees with blue and red lights around the windows. It had a golden halo on top of its head as its golden body was covered over in gold trim. He stared at it long enough, realizing he was now in front of the store, and now it was staring straight at him._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I did not spend hours wrapping presents just to hear my Mom say she and Dad are snowed in!"

Hunter looked over at his wife, Stephanie, and quickly sighed, going back to wrapping more gifts before their three children came home.

"Hunter? Are you listening to me?" Stephanie asked, throwing a towel against her shoulders. "Hunter?"

"I hear you," Hunter said, slightly smiling to himself. "I'm sure they'll make it here somehow."

"You expect them to drive in two feet of snow?"

"That's what happens."

Stephanie grunted and went back into the kitchen, quickly placing a dish bowl on the counter next to a ham and dressing. "I just need some more time to get everything done."

Hunter sighed and quickly placed a piece of tape on the Snowman wrapping paper in front of him, trying to find an angle as he pressed down on it, sealing it.

"Do you think I'm able to cook dinner, pick up the kids, and wrap presents by myself?"

"I'm wrapping some presents now."

"But there's more for my parents and, of course, they're not here."

Hunter grunted as he placed more tape on top of the paper, quickly sealing a single sheet and putting a small card on top of the box. He then reached down and grabbed a pen next to an awry of boxes and small gifts, writing his children's names one by one on each before placing a few bows on top.

"Are you finished yet?"

"Yes, honey," Hunter said, looking up. "I'm finished with the present. Where did you say your parents' gifts were?"

Stephanie turned around biefly and said, "In the car, I think."

"Great."

Hunter stretched his muscules as he stood up and walked over towards the front door, seeing a cold frost around the windows. He then walked over towards the coat rack and picked a coat up and placed it over his shoulders and back. Then he reached over towards the window and grabbed his keys.

"I'm sorry, honey," Stephanie said, walking into the living room towards Hunter. "I've felt...It's just hard..."

Hunter waited for another answer from Stephanie, who then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him passionately before walking back into the kitchen.

"I love you, too." Hunter whispered.

After a few seconds of staring at his wife cooking some more in the kitchen, Hunter quickly opened the front door and adjusted his coat as the cold wind whipped towards him. He found his footing as he quickly raced across the front yard and towards the car, quickly opening the backdoor and grabbed the presents inside. He hurried as the wind began to pick up speed, feeling like a cold blanket wrapping around him without hesitation or care. He then made it inside the house, dodging multiple Christmas decorations on the lawn, and closed the door, shivering.

"Did you get them all?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah," Hunter shivered. "They're right here."

Hunter placed the presents on the couch, all of them addressed to Vince or Linda, and walked over towards the Christmas then grabbed the rest of his daughters' presents and placed them against the red skirt individually.

"A tree that big shouldn't hold so many presents."

Hunter turned around and saw his wife standing in the kitchen door, looking at him with a smile.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Hunter joked.

Stephanie laughed and touched her husband's shoulder, rubbing it firmly as she kissed him on the lips. The two then kissed continuously until they heard a screeching noise outside.

"That's the kids." Stephanie whispered.

"Yeah," Hunter said, clearing his throat. "Let's help them out."

Hunter walked towards the front door and opened it, seeing a yellow bus drive off in the distance as he soon felt embraced by a hugging girl and her two sisters.

"Hi, Daddy!" Auoura said.

Hunter smiled and he hugged each of his daughters and helped them inside with their snow-covered shoes and coats.

"...and make sure you don't get frost on you." Hunter kept telling his daughters about the importance of not getting hypothermia since he had a few experiences with cold air in the past.

Stephanie shook her head, smiling. "Hi, girls. How was your day?"

"We gave money to the poor." Their youngest daughter said.

"Their was a red kettle drive today." Aurora said.

"That's nice." Hunter smiled. He remembered every Christmas when he would take a few seconds to donate money to needy families.

"Daddy," Aurora said. "Tell her they're not poor."

Hunter smiled and adjusted his coat, saying, "Some families actually are because of harsh times, so we donate money to help them out."

"Oh." Aurora said, smiling.

Stephanie smiled and walked back into the kitchen, allowing herself to focus on Christmas dinner rather than her parents.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

Hunter walked past the doorway and managed to get his hands around a small plate of cookies, eating one fast before the girls, or anyone else, noticed. He then grabbed a frosted snowman on another plate nearby and ate in quickly, tasting a sweet taste on his tongue. As he was about to get another, he jumped a little as he heard a small noise coming from the living room and placed the snowman down fast.

"Hunter? Is that you?"

"Yes."

Hunter felt relieved to hear his wife's voice as he watched her movements closely as she walked into the kitchen.

"You scared me there for a minute." Hunter said.

Stephanie laughed and put her hand on her husband's shoulder, kissing him on the lips before saying, "Sneaking Santa's cookies?"

"They're really good."

"Then you won't mind me having one?"

Hunter smiled and stepped aside to allow Stephanie to reach over towards the cookies, seeing her grab one and eat it.

"These are good." She said.

"Are the girls asleep yet?"

"No," Stephanie sighed. "They're looking out their window for Santa."

Hunter smiled and chuckled to himself as he walked over towards the table and sat down in a chair nearby, hearing his wife's constant muttering to herself and a somewhat small voice coming from upstairs.

"Oh, Shawn sent you a card. I put it next to the stockings" Stephanie said quickly before sitting down next to Hunter.

Hunter nodded his head and asked, "Did it happen to look like mine this time?"

"That's so funny." Stephanie whispered.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, it makes me laugh every time you guys want to send cards out to each other and then they end up being the same one every year."

"We didn't always give each other cards...or gifts."

"You could tell me one of your Shawn stories." Stephanie said, looking at her husband.

Hunter looked over at Stephanie and smiled, then grabbed his chair and leaned it closer to the table.

"Which one do you want to hear?" He asked.

"Surprise me."

Hunter thought for a few minutes before saying, "Okay...it was 2004 and we had just finished a show before Christmas..."

* * *

 **2004**

 _"Didn't I tell you this was going to happen?" Shawn asked as he looked over at Hunter, who was standing beside him in the locker room._

 _"What happened?" Hunter looked up at his friend._

 _Shawn sighed and quickly placed his clothes and other belongings in his bag, quickly closing it before saying, "You had to tell everyone we were going to the Christmas party."_

 _Hunter stepped forward, confused. "I want to go, why don't you?"_

 _"It's not that simple for me to walk into a room and expect people to treat me any different than back then."_

 _Hunter shook his head, almost in disgust. He had known about the party for weeks now, as did every wrestler, and thought it would be nice to be with his friends again since Shawn hadn't been around very long since he returned to the ring._

 _"Shawn, that was years ago."_

 _"The last party didn't go so well for me."_

 _"I remember," Hunter said, lowering his head. "You couldn't barely stand up straight."_

 _Shawn cringed as he placed his bag on his shoulder, remembering the pain he felt that night when his back was acting as if it could split in two, as well as the pain in his head from all the beer he managed to keep down. Now he wanted to move on from that experience, along with other things he regretted during his time when he and everyone else stood in the way towards his salvation. He then felt a strong tap on the back of his shoulder, looking over only to see Hunter standing next to him with a smile on his face._

 _"I wouldn't worry about it," Hunter said. "A ton of guys you don't know will be there."_

 _"But they knew of me," Shawn said, glaring. "And now everyone expects me to act just like I did all those years ago."_

 _"Shawn-"_

 _"I'm not going, Hunter. I just can't take anymore embarasment."_

 _Hunter waited a few seconds, staring at Shawn hoping he'd reconsider, but when Shawn started walking towards the door he let his friend do so. He waited a few seconds to see if Shawn would come back, as if that were possible, and soon felt a hint of guilt for not even saying goodbye to him._

 _"Merry Christmas." Hunter said._

* * *

"Wait," Stephanie paused. "That's what you were areguing about?"

"Sort of." Hunter shrugged, placing a frosted Snowman on the table.

Stephanie sighed and brought her hand towards her chin, pressing her nails against it. "That doesn't make sense."

"What?"

"Shawn knew he was healthier than years earlier, so that's no excuse to not hang out with your friends."

Hunter looked at his wife and thought to himself. She did have a point. But something else didn't seem right to him. Just as he felt back then.

* * *

 **2004\. Later that night.**

 _Shawn stood silently as he packed more items into his bag, finishing his job for the night as he laid the bag down on the bed. He stretched his arms, feeling a tight soreness in his back, and grabbed it for a few seconds, wincing in pain as he closed his eyes. The more he tried to think of something that wouldn't bother him, he continued to feel pains all around his back._

 _As soon as he managed to calm down his muscles, he heard a noise outside the door._

 _"Shawn?" A familair voice asked._

 _Shawn smiled and, without making any hesitation, quickly opened the door. He immediately recognized the person standing before him._

 _"Hey, man," Hunter said, looking a little concerned. "I wanted to check on you."_

 _"I'm fine." Shawn said, trying hard to stand the pain in his back. He couldn't take it any longer._

 _"So..." Hunter began. "I was about to go to the party when I decided to see if you were-"_

 _"I've got a flight to Texas in an hour, Hunter," Shawn interrupted. "I'm sorry."_

 _Hunter nodded his head, understanding his friend's words, but then noticed something wasn't right about Shawn. His eyes were glazed with a confused glance on his face, as if he'd been in pain or took something...he wasn't on anything. He couldn't have been._

 _"Oh, my God," Hunter said aloud. "You're eyes are-"_

 _"What?" Shawn grew confused._

 _"You're doing it again, aren't you?." Hunter said as he shook his head, a slight smile on his face._

 _Shawn knew exactly what his friend was talking about._

 _"No," He said. "I'll never take those pills again. You knew that already."_

 _Hunter rubbed his arm against his face, almost as if he was trying to hide something. "You scared me for a minute."_

 _"I'm sorry," Shawn said. "It's just...my back's acting up and I've got to get to the airport."_

 _Hunter smiled as he heard his friend's words, but not when Shawn mentioned about his back. It wasn't a laughing matter. He managed to look over his friend's shoulder long enough to see a clock on the dresser inside the bedroom, reading the time before turning his attention back to Shawn._

 _"You need any help?"_

 _"I'll be fine." Shawn said, adjusting his position._

 _"No, Shawn, you're not fine. You can barely stand right now."_

 _"I can to." Shawn said sternly, pushing away from Hunter as he went over towards the bed and grabbed his bag._

 _"Shawn, I-"_

 _"Look, maybe I needed help back then but now I need to help myself."_

 _Hunter looked at Shawn, trying hard not to yell, but decided it was better off leaving Shawn like this. Or was it? He became confused as he quickly noticed Shawn walking towards him, trying to walk out the door. He reached out and put his hand on his friend's shoulder, feeling a slight jump from the other man as he turned around._

 _"At least let me drive you there."_

 _Shawn sighed, continuing to stare at Hunter, who had a concerned look on his face, and said, "Okay...fine."_

 _Hunter smiled and grabbed Shawn's bag strap, Shawn allowing it to fall off his shoulders and watched as his friend carried it in his hands as they walked out the door together._

 _"So you really thought that party was going to be fun?" Shawn asked._

 _"Kind of," Hunter said. "But it doesn't matter now."_

 _Shawn laughed a little. "Merry Christmas, Hunter."_

 _"Merry Christmas, man."_

* * *

Stephanie smiled as she heard the rest of Hunter's story, feeling a guilty feeling in her heart as she lowered her head.

"What's wrong?" Hunter asked.

"It's almost Christmas," She said. "And here I was acting like a-"

"Crazed, sweet wife?" Hunter joked.

Stephanie grinned and punched her husband's shoulder before reaching down and eating another snowman. Hunter grinned and began to look out towards the window, seeing the darkness outside as the reflection of the Christmas tree and all the presents shined on to the glass.

Just as the two were about to speak to one another, a loud noise engulfed the house.

"Who could that be?" Stephanie asked, getting out of her seat.

Another loud noise echoed throughout the house, then a small knock on the door. Hunter smiled when he realized the voice yelling from the other side.

"I'm not a snowman! It's freezing out here!"

Hunter looked at his wife as he watched her open the door, immediately recognizing who it was outside the door.

"Mom! Dad! You made it!"

"Merry Christmas." Hunter said, placing another snowman in his mouth.

* * *

Hours later, Hunter walked towards the Christmas tree and noticed the newly wrapped presents sitting next to all the others. He shook his head and quickly moved over towards the stockings.

He reached up and grabbed the small envelope on top of his own stocking, quickly adjusting it so he could see it in the dim light.

"Please, Shawn." Hunter said to himself.

Hunter then opened the envelope and flipped over the card, seeing the image on the front of it. A Snowman giving presents to Reindeer while Santa sat in a big chair in the background with a sack of toys next to him.

"Why does this keep happening to us? " He sighed and smiled again, saying, "Well, at least this is our favorite tradition."

The end.


End file.
